Announcement

St. John Ambulance Cork - Glanmire First Aid Course!

Written by John O'Connell

St. John Ambulance Cork were delighted at the extraordinary turnout for our introductory First Aid course, held in Glanmire Community School on Sunday on May 22nd last. Over 60 members of the public, of all ages and from all walks of life converged on the school to learn vital lifesaving skills. The techniques learned ranged from the controlling of severe bleeding, to the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in conjunction with CPR to help save the life of a person in need of it most.

Members of the Cork City Division were on hand from early Sunday morning to set up the venue in preparation for one of the largest First Aid courses that St. John Ambulance had ever held. After sign-in, the course began with a brief synopsis of skills such as safety, approaching a scene, and patient assessment, intertwined with a talk about wounds and bleeding.

After a brief tea break, the students were brought through a small presentation on limb injuries such as fractures, strains and sprains, coupled with another presentation about medical emergencies and the recovery position. As the students broke for lunch, members of the Cork City Division stayed amongst the class with the course instructors and demonstrators, to answer any questions about St. John Ambulance. Feedback indicated that this was a welcome inclusion to the course.

The students returned for an afternoon focused exclusively on learning the skills of CPR with the use of the Automated External Defibrillator. The students were shown how to treat choking, and were shown video clips showing the use of the AED, and the recognition and treatment of both heart attack and stroke. The examinations were then held, and we are delighted to announce that all students passed the course with flying colours.

We welcomed our Commissioner, Professor Patrick Plunkett, to the course for the day. We would like to extend our thanks to him for the kind words of encouragement to the students and also for presenting the certificates. We also thank him for giving a brief history of the Brigade, and what joining the Brigade can do for a person. We thank our Assistant Commissioner, Mr. James Devine, for presenting certificates, and also for explaining to the students the importance of the basic first aid skills they had learned that day, and how those skills can save a the life of a person.

We thank the staff of the Glanmire Community School for the kind use of their excellent premises. Finally, a special word of thanks must go to the people of Glanmire. Without their support this course could not have gone ahead, and we at St. John Ambulance Cork, are grateful for that.

If you would like to get involved with St.John Ambulance, or perhaps enquire about first aid courses in Cork, then please do not hesitate to contact us, using the button at the top of the screen. We would be delighted to assist you in any way. Please visit our official Facebook page to see photographs of the day, and of all the work that St. John Ambulace do in Cork!